Many of us - if not all
of us , owe our conversion to friends and family who prayed us into the Kingdom.
Prayer is the big weapon for the salvation of souls. Argument and debate without
prayer is dry and fruitless. Do not spend all your time bashing your head against
the arguments of people. Instead bash into Heaven with strong prayers on behalf
of those you want to be saved.

Why should we pray for
the lost?

1. Out of love - if we
love our neighbor as ourselves we will want him or her to know Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior too.

2. Out of holy fear - if
we realize that Hell is for real and for eternity then we will not want our
friends, family or neighbors to go there.

3. Out of knowledge of
the nature of God - who loves to be merciful and desires that all men should
be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

4. Out of knowledge of
the power of prayer - prayer often succeeds when all else has failed. It is
the only way we have of asking God to move in someone's life and heart. We know
that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. We know that
prayers according to God's will are answered. This is not spiritual manipulation
from a distance. Rather prayer grants the person the ability to see clearly
and make a free and informed choice, free from the manipulative bondages and
blindness that the Devil tries to impose. We can legitimately pray that a person
may be able to freely choose between the mercy and glory of God and the temporary
trash of this world. We can pray that their blindness be removed and Christ
shown to them convincingly and clearly. Imagine if we could present every non-Christian
with a clear convincing presentation of the facts. Imagine they were made to
choose between the love of Jesus Christ, eternal glory, a magnificent resurrection
body , life in heaven etc. versus pain and torment and death and disgrace for
all eternity . Only a crazy person would choose to remain a non-Christian. Prayer
allows the unbeliever to glimpse the facts for what they are and to make a sensible
choice. It is not unfair or manipulative -it is the fairest, most freeing way
we have.

1 Timothy 2:1-8 I urge,
then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be
made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live
peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and
pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge
of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony
given in its proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and
an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true
faith to the Gentiles. 8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer,
without anger or disputing.

God wants us to pray -
for kings and all those in authority..... in order that people may be saved
and come to a knowledge of the truth. This points out a sometimes forgotten
aspect about praying for the lost - that governments can do a lot to help or
to hinder the process of evangelism. For instance in Albania, one of the world's
most atheistic communist states a generation of people has been raised without
the remotest awareness of Jesus Christ or the gospel. Albania is in ruins as
a result and is without the social services or human compassion that the influence
of the gospel brings. On the other hand Samoa and some of the Pacific nations
are very Christian and the Government actively encourages participation in Christian
activities. Everyone has some knowledge of the gospel and many are saved.

God wants "all people everywhere"
- that means the lot of you without exception - to pray for those in authority
so that we may openly have permission to preach the gospel without hindrance.
Please pray that:

Our school system may remain open to Christian chaplaincy and R. E.

That tax concessions for some areas of Christian work may remain in place and
that more areas e.g. donations to missionary societies may be made tax exempt.

That anti-Christian laws in some States may be repealed.

That the Government recognize the contribution that true Christianity can make
to Australia .

That we change from being a secular country to a Christian nation.

That we may remain able to proclaim Christianity , in all its truths, in all areas
of our society.

That people such as nurses who have difficult issues of conscience be allowed
to be truly Christian and abstain from practices they consider inappropriate to
their faith.

Also as issues such as
pornography laws etc. pop up from time to time we can make them a matter of
prayer by "all people everywhere". I look upon such praying is as paving the
way for the gospel - it is very hard to sow the seeds of faith in a mind filled
with pornographic trash. Pornography greases the path to Hell and banning it
is a positive action not a negative one.

So part of our praying
for the lost is praying for structures that block the spread of the gospel to
be removed. The second part of praying for the lost is praying for individuals
/ families/ villages and nations to be saved.

The following ideas have
been pinched from a small pamphlet called "How To Pray For The Lost" which I
discovered years ago and have found very useful. I have also added in a few
practical hints of my own.

The first thing you need
to understand when praying for the lost is that the price has been paid. When
Jesus died upon that cross He paid the price for every single sinner on the
earth. When you are praying for the lost remember that the price has been paid
and make that the starting point for prayer.

"Lord you bought Joe Bloggs
at Calvary, he is yours and so is his wife Joanne Bloggs and now we are asking
You to claim Joe and Joanne for yourself, to remove the chains that bind them.
Don't let the Devil have those you have bought Lord, be glorified in them and
through them Lord. Take them back to yourself , set them free, Christ has done
it, now we claim it . Amen "

Knowing that Christ has
paid the price gives us confidence to pay boldly. It is not as if we have to
bargain at all. The price is paid - that person rightly belongs to God who has
bought them back out of slavery and sin. The technical name for this is "praying
on the basis of redemption" or in some circles "praying for the lost in the
power of the blood of Jesus" . Stand before God, confident that He wants your
friend saved and confident that He has already paid the price for that to happen.

PERSISTENTLY AND REGULARLY
- praying for people to be saved can at times be a very long battle. We need
to pray persistently and regularly for those we want to be saved. In Luke 18:1
ff Jesus makes it clear that persistence pays off and tells us that we ought
to "pray and not get weary.."

PRAY WATCHFULLY - It pays
to be alert to the spiritual state of the unbeliever and to pray appropriately
- are they curious about God yet? Are they convicted about their sin? Are they
attracted to Jesus? Are they involved in something they would find very difficult
to give up if they became a Christian? Pray specifically for where the person
is at spiritually so they can take one or two steps closer to faith in God.
"Lord you know how Joe finds it hard to believe your Bible - please show him
it is true and that it can be relied on..."

1. That God will make them
curious about spiritual things. The first hurdle is often sheer apathy with
regard to the truth. Pray that God will stir them up to search out the truth
about Life, The universe and Everything -for themselves.

2. Pray that God will surround
your friend with witnessing Christians. Pray that they will feel absolutely
surrounded and unable to escape from God. This forces people to consider Christ
and the difference between their lives and the lives of true Christians.

3. Ask that they may clearly
grasp that they are sinful. Unless there is a clear perception of sin there
can be no true repentance from sin. They must know that they are in the wrong.

4. That God will grant
them an almighty thirst for God's Word. That even as unbelievers they will want
to read the Bible especially Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah and the Gospels.

5. Plead for a clear understanding
of Jesus as Savior and Lord. With some of the heresies abroad today Jesus is
often misunderstood. Pray that your friends may see Jesus as real and historical
and also as divine. Pray that God may clear up any misunderstandings in these
areas and be prepared to answer questions. Be clear about Jesus being the only
way to a true and favorable relationship with God.

6. Intercede for your friends
at any points where they are being held under Satan's power. Ask for release
from wrong ways and bad influences. Their friends may be a real obstacle to
their salvation, pray that they may not give in to them but may instead have
the courage to believe in God. There is today an increasing interest in the
occult and some people are badly hooked -pray for their release from this dark
addiction so that they may be free to believe.

7. Ask for grace toward
your friends so that they may develop godly tastes which lead them toward God
and salvation. Pray that they may start liking Christian music or if they are
literature buffs that C. S. Lewis, John Donne, Milton and T.S. Elliot may hold
a fascination for them. If classical music - pray that the great Christian works
of Bach and Handel may intrigue them. If rock music that the contemporary Christian
rock bands with good messages may become their passion. Pray that in everything
from bushwalking to building models that somehow their tastes will be drawn
to that which witnesses to Christ.

CHALLENGE I am going to
leave you with the challenge of making a list of people you will pray for .
Also get your home groups to buy a small notebook, rule it up, "Person," "What
We Will Pray", "When It Was Answered." We can really see things happen when
we persistently pray for the lost on the basis of what Christ has done on the
cross.